Avatar: A Tale Of Two Wanderers
by Saint Centurion
Summary: A spin off series starring myself and a friend as benders of earth and fire looking for modest work. Along the way they meet the inheritor of the Vaatu, or the dark avatar form. This takes place a few months after the events in the Legend Of Korra where Korra kills the host of Vaatu, who is later regenerated in Raava. In order to survive, Vaatu left his host for a new one.


Avatar

Book One:

Fire and Force

Whispers echoed from the top of the boulder, a man and a woman could be heard chuckling on it. Li shifted a small bit as Jao leaned a little further forward towards the window and kept the rock raised. Muffled laughter came again. Suddenly a high-pitched siren wailed into the darkness, cutting off any more mirth from the boulder's peak.

"Crap." Li lowered his friend to the ground and sent the rock flying across the garden surrounding the manor. He and Jao gave the woman in the window a gentleman's farewell as they hopped over the perimeter wall. They crisscrossed alleys and barren streets and put about a mile of city between them and the estate before Li put up a wall in a secluded path to shield them from view. After they caught their breath and made sure they weren't followed, he gave Jao an audible back of the head smack.

"There are so many other girls. SO MANY. You had to pick the governor's little girl?" Jao returned his friend's smack.

"We both know you were looking at her too. I can say that I wasn't the only one she was expecting. I think she was hoping you'd show up just as much as me." Li checked around the wall,

"Right, pretty boy, Right."Approaching footsteps forced them to silence again. The patrols under governor Seong were no joke. Fully armed men and a bender walked not a few feet away from their alley."Think we better leave tomorrow. I don't think they saw our faces but I don't want to chance it." Jao nodded,

"Plus, I think she's going to be looking for us." Li raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, turns out she actually fancied you. So I may have told her you'd visit." Another patrol passed, preventing Li from shouting at his friend.

"You what!?" He whispered. Jao only smiled in answer. Li shook his head. It was going to be twice as hard to get out of the city now that she was looking for him. They checked the street for more patrols before he two made their way back to the small inn they had holed up in. It wasn't on the pretty side of town, but no one really looked twice at them. They had been there for a few days now, looking for half decent work. Li remembered when Jao spotted Lady Nevalia in the market the day before. They thought their luck had changed. They approached her as friendly as they could manage, and asked if they were short handed. Instead of a simple answer, they ended up saving her from a small pack of bandits, and earning her rather unexpected affections. Had they known who she was at the time, they would have been on the next train out of town that day. She was a girl used to getting exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it. But they followed her around the city at her request, and discussed about a potential job as her personal bodyguards. Blinded by thoughts of a proper, high paying job and non-rat infested rooms, it didn't register who she was or where she was taking them until they met the big man himself. They'd had a run in with Governor Seong before, and it was ugly. They couldn't blame him for being angry, they'd smashed through his vacation home after all. Whether it was chance or the time between their last meeting and this one, he didn't seem to recognize them. One look at him and his daughter though, was enough for the hair on their neck to stand up. They played it out and did their best to sneak off, but the governor insisted they stick around for dinner as reward for saving his daughter. A few hours of nervous talking and question-dodging later they were caught by Nevalia sneaking out. Which led to their quick escape. Jao shook him out of his reverie.

"Snap out of it, dude. We need to bail." Li nodded and threw the rest of his belongings into his bag. They paid their last stay at the inn counter and begin the long and slow task of sneaking through the city to the shipyard. Moving along back roads, the two made their way to the yard where a cargo ship ready to leave sounded its horn. Li sighed with relief,

"OK, so the inn keep wasn't lying about the boat." Jao grinned

"maybe we sound trust shady people with face tattoos more often." they casually strolled up to the loading dock and approached one of the crew. Li waved him over,

"Hey buddy! I got some coin with your name on it if you can get us a spot on that boat." the sailor looked them over.

"How much you got?" he asked. Jao tossed him a small sack that chinked as it landed in the sailor's hand. He weighed it in his palm. "There some space on the cargo bay if you can deal with the vegetables." They nodded, and followed him up the dock and onto the ship.

An hour or so later, they felt the ship move away from the dock and into open waters. Unfortunately, though it would get them out of town, the only comfortable place to wait out the trip was among the cabbages. Li and Jao looked at each other as the crates shifted, "I hate cabbage." They said in unison. It was going to be a long ride.

Chapter 2

"We there yet?" Jao asked for the hundredth time that day. They'd been at sea for three days now, and the two were getting more impatient by the hour. Li shrugged as he looked out a window. Land had appeared an hour ago, but the ship had shown no signs of slowing down. Li answered without looking at his friend.

"Doesn't look like it. I was hoping we would stop by a village or something small. I saw one or two as we came in. We can always find work in those places." Jao suddenly jumped from his seat,

"lets spar?" Li gave him a look,

"Last time we sparred, you burnt half the crates of carrots." Jao nodded, and took a stance anyway. Li sighed again, but a smile spread across his face regardless. Taking a stance of his own across from Jao, they began their training with enthusiasm. This was ritual for them. They'd been kicking the hell out of each other since they met. But that didn't stop them from doing it. The two were extremely competent fighters despite their young age. Years of competition between the two, along with the occasional mercenary job, honed their mediocre skills into something to be reckoned with. This showed in everything they did. Though the two couldn't be more different.

Jao was on the lanky side, not small, but not large either. This hid a surprising strength that came with years of training and fighting, along with his own natural agility. Trevor was stocky, naturally like most earth benders. What made him stick out was the surprising grace and politeness with which he carried himself with. With his imposing appearance, his mannerisms and gentle nature surprise just about everyone they meet. The two were near polar opposites in fact. They cancel each other out in a way. Li keeping Jao in check while Jao brought out Li's more reckless side. It was a very fragile balance. The ship's horn sounded as Jao sat back down and Li resumed his position at the window.

"We're stopping. Looks like a port town. Want to see if we can get another fishing job?" Jao shook his head.

"Nah, I don't feel like going to sea for 3 days and getting paid a day's salary." Li nodded his agreement. Jack came to stand next to his friend.

"You saw a village on the way over right? Think they need any protection?" He asked

Trevor shrugged, "Don't know, looked pretty small. We could get some work as farm hands for a week or two and see what happens."

"You want to watch to see if it gets raided?"

"Yeah."

"Classic case the town, save the people, get paid, and split the next day scenario?" Li grinned,

"Yup." He slung his pack over his shoulder and they made their way onto the deck. Li shielded his eyes from the noon sun as he and Jack surveyed the port town. It was at least big enough to accommodate a few ships coming in every week. A sizable crowd was already on the pier. They mingled with the crew until the gangplank was lowered, and slipped into the throng on the dock. They spent the next few hours learning the ways of the town and who to talk to. It didn't take them long to get what they needed. Nobody would turn a couple of able bodied workers needing a ride to the next town. Though when Jao showed Li the ride he'd found, he was less than thrilled.

"Are you sure this is the earliest ride out there?" Jao shrugged,

"You said we needed get out of town as quick as possible. This truck leaves in an hour for a small farmers market in a village a couple dozen miles out. At least we don't have to sit with them this time." Li covered his nose as the wind carried the smell from the truck over them. He shook his head in disgust.

"Why the hell people see the need to continue to grow cabbage, I'll never know." Jao took a gulp of air and began loading crates. Li followed. Nearly an hour of loading and an hour on the road later, Trevor spotted the village in question. A small roadside sign marked the place as Mattern. It had everything one would expect from a small town. It had a small inn for travelers, a few places to eat, and was slightly more rural than suburb. They gave their thanks to the driver and the other workers and made their way towards the town center. The small farmers market opened up before them. It was about what they expected of a rural market. A couple dozen stalls selling discounted wares.

Jao sniffed the air, "You know, if we still got some cash from that last job, we should pick up some food for the road. Always pays to come prepared." Li nodded.

"You think we got enough for a few days worth? We gave a decent amount to that sail-" Li was cut short when a walking pile of clothes collided with him, burying him and its carrier. "What the..." He pulled a shirt off his face and searched for the owner. A woman picked herself out of the pile and began frantically refolding the clothes on her knees.

"No, no, no, no! I knew I took too many. They're gonna kill me! These are fresh from the factory too!" In her panic she rushed around Li collecting bits of clothing as she went. She didn't seem to even notice him, at least until she ran head first into his chest, and found herself on the ground again. "Oh...Hi?" She gave a meek wave at the man standing above her. Jao, of course, finally busted out laughing in the background.

"Are you ok?" Li offered his hand to her. She hesitated, then allowed him to help her up. She refolded the shirt in her hand, not meeting his gaze.

"thank you." The words came out as a whisper. At that point Li was feeling pretty sorry for her. She was clearly not used to attention, and judging from the lack of concern the scene was getting from the surrounding market, this was a normal thing for her. Jao had managed to stop his laughing fit and began to understand the situation too. Li nodded to him, and the two began to pick up the various shirts, pants, and undergarments. The woman gawked at them for a moment before whispering again, "no, no. I ran into you. there's no need to clean up my mess..." she lapsed into silence again when the two didn't respond and began to do her part in picking up the clothes. Soon enough the three of them had it all in hand. The woman reached out for Jao"s pile, "Really it's my job, my fault. You don't have to..." But he held it out of her reach.

"So where we putting this anyway? Me and the big guy need to find some work and a decent place to eat." Li chimed in,

"Yeah, I could go for a bite. We did just blow in to town after all. Where did you say we we were putting this, miss?" The pair put on their most sincere faces, and blatantly ignored her protests. It took her a moment to process what they were doing. Then with a small smile she pointed to a rather large clothing shop across the street. They let her lead the way as they carted the clothes through traffic into the store. A small bell sounded as they opened the door, and another woman's voice called out from the depths of the shop.

"Jia? Is that you? Did you make it through all right?" A woman that resembled an older Jia appeared behind the counter, "I know today's stock was bigger than usual, and you never take the cart like we keep telling you..." She trailed off as she noticed the rather windblown pair of guys that stood next to Jia. "Oh! Hello there. If you two fine gentlemen would kindly excuse me and my granddaughter for a moment." Taking Jia by the hand, she led her behind the counter and through a door to a sewing room. Though they were behind a door, Jack and Trevor could hear a very quiet and heated conversation. The whispers echoed for a few moments before the woman and Jia reappeared. "Please excuse my rudeness. Allow me to thank you properly for helping my Jia. I am her grandmother." She gave the pair a small bow. The two returned it, hiding grins as they did. They could smell opportunity a mile away, and this place smelled expensive. Judging from the shop, whoever owner the place was well off in the financial department. Usually in a small town, well off people carried a lot of weight. If they could get in good with them, they can get some sway with the locals. That aside, there was a chance of a good paycheck. They gave a slight nod to each other, and began to take their leave.

"Wait!" While the two were expecting it, they weren't expecting the girl, Jia, to shout. They looked back at her with genuine surprise. Her face reddened a slight bit with the attention, but it seemed she'd steeled herself for this moment. "erm, wait just a second. You guys said you needed some work right?" Li nodded.

"Yeah, we just came into town. We were actually going to explore the farmers market when we ah...met you." Li gave an apologetic smile. Jia returned it.

"Again, sorry about that. But um, what kind of work are you guys looking for? Are you benders?" Jao answered.

"No, but we do take guard jobs most of the time. Caravans, politicians, valuables. stuff like that." Not completely off the truth, but not the entire truth either. The older woman, who had been watching Jia with something that looked a mix of shock and pride, spoke up at the mention of their work.

"Guards? Really? Well it seems we have a huge coincidence on our hands." Jia stared, wide eyed at her grandmother, like she'd just said something terrible. "My daughter and son-in-law own the local cotton factory and are looking for a extra few hands." But Li shook his head,

"thank you for the suggestion, but we aren't field workers. We wouldn't last a day." But she was already nodding before he finished.

"Good, that wasn't what I was offering. My children's home was nearly robbed recently. They got away with nothing thanks to my Jia here, but now her parents want guards for the house and her." The pair glanced at Jia, who was slowly turning from slight pink to ruby the more her grandmother spoke. "I can put in a good word for you two if you'll consider it." The pair looked at each other, and Li stepped forward.

"If you'll excuse us one moment." He and Jao stepped outside the door. Jao looked mildly shocked.

"That little girl stopped a robbery? She's either a bender or secretly really scary." Li agreed,

"its not like you hear something like that everyday. I'd put my money on her being a bender, but...why did she go out of her way not to say so? Gotta admit I'm curious."

"Yeah, besides it's not like we haven't heard stranger stories before. And we never shy from a little mystery do we?" Li grinned and nodded. They opened the door to the shop and stepped back inside. The two women clammed up as they came back. Clearly they'd had a discussion of their own, through from their faces theirs was nowhere near as light-hearted. Jia's grandmother put on a smile regardless,

"It seems you've come to a decision?" Li nodded,

"We've decided we'll take the job, if Lady Jia and her parents are OK with us in her company." Jia seemed to be going through a roller coaster of emotions. She when white when she heard them accept, and full red when he called her 'Lady'. Her grandmother was a stark contrast. She seemed overjoyed, in fact.

"Wonderful! Allow me to get a hold of my children, don't go anywhere!" She rush into one of the back rooms. The soft clacking of a telephone could be heard in the silence. Suddenly her head poke back out from the door, "It just occurred to me that we don't even know your names." Li and Jao gave another, more formal bow. Had to make an impression after all.

"I'm Jao."

"Name's Li" She nodded and went back to the phone.

"Soooo, uhhhh..." Jia finally spoke up. She looked like she wanted to hide. Li decided to keep the conversation going, he didn't need their new employer fainting.

"So what do you want us to call you?"

"Oh, uh. Just Jia is f-fine." Seemed the shock of what just happened was wearing off. She could at least look them in the face now. "I guess if my parents approve, we can go to the estate. Oh lord mom is gonna kill me..." Her grandmother stepped back out,

"Good news! They want to meet you. I'll call for a car, so in the mean time Jia..." She gave her granddaughter a stern look. "At least try to be friendly. If your parents decide to hire them, you will be spending a lot of time around each other." Jia nodded. "The car should be here in a few minutes. Until then. Tell us about yourselves." For the next ten minutes the two spun an elaborate tale of their arrival to Mattern, being sure to make it as ordinary as possible. Jia seemed to be eating it up. The two thought they had spun their tale rather well, though they were a bit worried that Jia's grandmother didn't entirely believe them. But, much to their relief, the car horn saved them from any questioning. Jia said goodbye and led them outside.

As they expected, it was fancy. Potentially one of the newest models, all the way out here. Jao decided to start their job immediately, opening the door for their new employer. Jia hid her face as she climbed in, Jao and Li grinned at each other. She was going to be a fun one, so easy to tease. The two honestly wondered how sheltered she must have been to be embarrassed by simply opening a door. They stepped in, occupying the seats across from her. The driver kicked into gear and the car began to chug its way through the market and onto the roads leading out of town. The continued further until the town was out of site and pastures rolled around passed. Li attempted to lift the uneasy silence that Jia had lapsed into,

"So what exactly do your parents do Lady-, Ah sorry, Miss Jia?" She looked up from her lap hesitantly.

"Y-you can just call me Jia. My mom runs the cotton fields out here, my dad runs the dye factories." Li nodded, and already bored of small talk, addressed the elephant in the room.

"We don't exactly bite you know." Jao smirked and leaned forward,

"Well I don't, but big man might. Needs a little anger management." He ducked Li's hand as it whooshed over his head. Li dodged Jao's counter. They both glanced in Jia's direction as they messed around. A smile had spread across her face while the two picked on each other. The tension gone for now, the three chatted as the car rumbled on.

Jia clammed back up as the manor approached, a worried expression refusing to leave her face. This confused her two companions, but they decided to leave this one alone. The poor girl looked borderline scared, and the two felt a pang of anger for her. Jia was incredibly kind and mild mannered for a rich girl, at least more so than any they've met. Every word she'd said so far had a tone of politeness and caution, as if she was doing her best not to offend them. But the way she was acting now pointed to a rather rough home life. And her panic when they first ran into her started making sense. Whoever her parents were either meant a lot to her, or she was very afraid of them. They hoped it was the first, for her sake.

The car skidded to a halt in front of the main door, and they stepped out onto the walk. An imposing pair, they assumed were Jia's parents, stood in the doorway. Jia rushed up into the arms of her father, who chuckled as he held her.

"Haha! Hello my darling girl! Good to have you home. And you've brought guests..." He released his daughter and looked them over. "Well, they're younger than I thought. About your age would be my guess." Jia nodded,

"Dad, mom. This is Li and Jao. I don't know how much Grandma told you over the phone, but these guys really helped me out this morning."

"So my mother said." Jia's mother's gaze swept over them like an icy wave. It was clear Jia got her mother's looks, but not her attitude. Her stare held a mixture of distrust and contempt. Jia's father was a totally different animal. He was a brutish man with a worker's build. But he had a kind face and an obvious care for Jia, reflexively putting her behind him. Jia pushed ahead though, and came to stand beside her new friends.

"Hey! I know I'm a little trusting sometimes, but they had no reason to help me, but they did! Literally no one looked in my direction when I ran into him,i-" Li cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.

"Thank you for vouching for us Miss Jia. If there is too much going on, my companion and I will gladly go. We wouldn't want to cause you any inconvenience." Jao nodded.

"We do hope we haven't done anything to offend you. We're just looking for work. There's no need for us to be here if you don't want us to be." The two turned back to the road and began walking. Jia ran around them and placed a hand on their chests.

"No! Your not causing any trouble. My parents are just a bit...Stubborn. That's all." Jia's father let out a chuckle, and her mother's stare softened before she finally spoke.

"Well, I suppose if my daughter vouches for you so...passionately. Then the least we can do is see if you're worthy enough to protect her." The two gave formal bows and were led inside. The manor itself was a bit bare bones. Not much furniture or decor adored the rooms they passed. A couch there, a few chairs. Nothing major. It wasn't until they were brought to a large yard did they see anything interesting. It was surprisingly bare, they noticed, before their hosts turned to them.

"I suppose a quick introduction is in order. This is our training ground." Noticing the surprise looks on their faces, she continued, "It was our garden, but due to recent events we had it cleared for potential bodyguard candidates." Li looked around,

"Well what would you test us against?" Jia's father walked to the center of the clearing.

"Me of course. I will face you individually, and see if you are strong enough to protect my daughter." He settled into a fighting stance. Jao and Li looked at each other with surprise, but nodded. Jao stepped up first, taking his own stance. Jia's father wasted no time closing the distance between them. He moved surprisingly fast for such a large man, catching Jao by surprise. He smashed Jao's gut and pushed him back a few feet. Retaking his stance, Jia's father smirked, "I hope you were expecting more than a senile old man, Mr. Jao." Jao took his stance again in answer. Li grinned as he watched next to Jia. He knew the look on Jao's face, it was the same look they'd given each other every time they sparred in the past. The prospect on a good fight got their blood going like nothing else. Jao began dishing out just as much as he was taking, and vise-versa. Jao managed to push him back a few steps before he called the match. "Not bad boy, not bad." He turned to Li, "Well Mister Li? Care to spar with a senile old man?" Li rose and faced him while Jao sat down. Now a bit wary, Li closed in immediately. They exchanged blows as he and Jao did. The man was extremely adept, he realized. Each strike he threw seemed to be telegraphed and adapted to. They'd dealt with bandits, thugs, muggers, thieves, and even mercenaries. But a master martial artist? Never. Like Jao, Li only pushed him back a few steps before he raised his hands in mock forfeit. He sat down next to his wife and took a drink from a hip flask he pulled from nowhere. Li took his own seat and waited. He drained the flask and looked at them, then to his daughter. "You may have found a diamond in the rough, Jia, two in fact." Jia went red again. He turned back to them, "Let me guess..." He pointed to Jao, "A mix of formal training and self taught..." He pointed to Li, "and a mix of monastery training and self taught as well." They stiffened in surprise. He chuckled, "In case you haven't already noticed, I'm not exactly some pampered aristocrat. I know training when I see it. Even if you bury it under improvisation." They stayed silent for a moment, then gave a respectful bow. He bowed back, "Its occurred to me that we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Tie Feng." Jia's mother stood,

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting to have to introduce myself. I'm Tie Huo." She placed a hand on her hip like she was disciplining children. They bowed to her as well. Though more for their image than out of respect. Jia was practically hopping around in joy. Her father laughed, and her mother's gaze soften, if only for a second. Jao scratched his head,

"So does this mean...?" Tie Feng nodded. The two grinned and followed their new employers.

The weeks that followed were some of the weirdest yet fun work hours they'd ever had. They were given rooms on the estate, and a tour by Jia herself. Her parents allowed them free reign of the grounds so long as they stayed near Jia. This wasn't a problem, of couse. They were her guards after all. It wasn't like they could get away from her anyways.


End file.
